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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

“Over the house? That is not possible, is it?”

“It is. He put planks up one side and down the other. Then he came roaring up doing fifty miles an hour, hit one of the planks and took off. I thought he was going to kill himself or tear the roof apart, one or the other.”

“He is an interesting man, this Jake.”

One evening as they sat on the porch together, watching the sun go down in a red sky, Juanita put her hand on Emaline’s arm. “I have something I must tell you. I am with Eli. For more than a year now, since the car accident.”

“With him?”

“Like man and woman. Man and wife, except that we are not married.”

“I thought perhaps you were. The way you talk about him.”

“Yes. I wish you knew him better. He is a good man. He pushed so hard for so long because he did not know another way. Now he is beginning to learn, but it takes time. He is very sorry for the way he was with your mother.”

Emaline nodded. “I know. I thought about that after Ida Mae died, how she was always the one pushing him to keep my mother away from the ranch. Now that she’s gone, maybe I can come up to visit someday.”

“He would like this very much.”

“What are you and Eli going to do? Will you get married?”

“This is what he wants. Very much. I tell him that in all ways we are married, why does it matter? Even his children accept it, they are very kind to me. But he wants this. I tell him I want it too, but I cannot marry a rich man, because if I do they will say I am a poor Mexican who wanted to catch a rich man for his money. He says things are very bad in the whole country and he will soon be poor like everyone else, so I say, ‘If you are poor, then we will marry!’”

Emaline laughed. “Then I don’t know what I should wish for. For Eli to be poor so you can marry him, or for him to stay rich.”

“He will be happier when he is poor. Then he can start over again. This is what he is like. He is not happy to succeed. It is trying to make something, this for him is the important thing. He must be doing the impossible. This is what he is made to do.”